COEUR d’ALENE — Charter Academy eighth graders got firsthand experience with Kootenai County’s criminal justice system Thursday. 

In an upstairs courtroom at the juvenile justice center in downtown Coeur d’Alene, students heard from judges, prosecutors, public defenders and court staff, as well as probation and parole officers and had an opportunity to ask questions of their own. 

The event was part of Law Day, which celebrates the rule of law each May 1. 

Deputy prosecuting attorney Shannon Jackson said prosecutors try to resolve cases without going to trial whenever possible. But when cases do go before a jury, prosecutors must prove every element of the alleged crimes beyond a reasonable doubt. 

“Our goal in every case is protection of society,” Jackson said. “We represent the community, essentially, as the state, so our goal is to keep the community as safe as possible.” 

Jonathan Meyer of the State Public Defender’s Office explained how public defenders work to protect the rights of the defendants they represent. Public defenders and prosecutors work in tandem to make sure justice is served. 

“Our system only works if that is upheld on both sides,” he said. 

Kootenai County practices “holistic defense,” an approach that combines legal advocacy with efforts to address a defendant’s broader needs, including social, economic and mental health issues. 

“We want to give people public defense services in a wrap-around way,” said Alyse Staley, a forensic social worker for the State Public Defender’s Office. 

Staley works with clients who are involved in the legal system at all levels, including juvenile and adult criminal court and child protection cases. 

“My responsibility is to make sure we connect those people with what they need,” she said. 

Haley Rose is a probation officer who works with felony probationers in Kootenai County. She is also the probation officer for the county’s mental health court, a voluntary post-conviction program for offenders with persistent mental illness. 

“I love the people I supervise,” she said. “Just because somebody is on probation or parole doesn’t make them any different from you and I, doesn’t make them less of a human, doesn’t make them a bad person. It just means they made an error and they’re now taking accountability for it by serving that sentence.” 

While Rose spoke about her role in the county’s legal system, a therapy dog named Huckleberry roamed the courtroom, visiting students and letting them pet her. Huckleberry provides emotional support to mental health court clients and is one of the tools Rose and her colleagues use to help their clients make progress while on probation. 

“One of the things I really enjoy is building trust and rapport with the people I work with,” she said.